Boko haram's incursion into Igboland

Press release - Ndigbo Lagos, the umbrella body of all Igbo organizations in Lagos regards with utmost horror the news that 486 Boko Haram suspects were arrested in Abia State by Nigerian soldiers. Even more condemnable is the official information from the Nigerian Army that amongst them was identified a notorious and wanted kingpin of the dreaded murderous Boko Haram.

 

It is instructive that the apprehension of these 486 suspected Boko Haram members in 33 Toyota Hiace buses in Abia State, along Enugu-Port Harcourt road at about 2.00 am, occurred just a few days after the timely discovery of 6 time-bombs at the Port Harcourt Road branch of Winners Chapel Church, Owerri, a church that reportedly has over 10,000 worshipers on Sunday services.

 

While we salute the gallantry and courage of the Nigerian army for intercepting the suspects, and the vigilance of the worshippers in identifying the bombs, there are indications that these recent subtle but deliberate push by the terrorists into Igbo land has included the use of Fulani herds’ men to penetrate and infiltrate the underbelly of South Eastern part of Nigeria from the remote frontier villages of Enugu and Ebonyi States. It is on record that, among many such complaints, in recent weeks the people of Ezeagu Local Government of Enugu State have cried out about infiltration of their villages by AK47 wielding ‘Fulani Herdsmen’. According to the Vanguard Newspaper of June 10 2014 Dr Obiorah Ozobu, the President General of Ezeagu General Assembly was quoted as saying that in a neighbouring village “… a farmer was shot dead by these Fulani people and we have had three reported cases of rape of village women that went to their farm.’’